Market Summaries

Selling to Libraries in Latin America – Abstract

Selling to Libraries in Latin America was created to help publishers evaluate the economy and culture of Latin America as an emerging market, by offering a statistical overview of the economy and a firsthand summary of regional trends.

According to ECLAC (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), the region is experiencing its fifth straight year of economic growth. Libraries in large countries have about 60% of the overall library collections in the region, but good library development is generally prevalent throughout the region. Opportunity in the market includes all but a few libraries in countries with modest economies.

Despite lingering ties to print, e-resource usage in both Mexico and Brasil – two of the largest countries in this area — is increasing. In Mexico, group activity is popular, as libraries focus heavily on pricing and the power of collaborative effort. In Brasil, libraries are becoming more and more interested in online resources as a way to eliminate shipping/procurement obstacles.

Should you chose to market your content to Latin America, our experienced regional offices can assist with all of your promotional needs. With the support of fully staffed offices in 22 countries worldwide, EMpact’s global reach makes it possible for content providers to take advantage of opportunities they might otherwise miss.

Selling to Libraries in the Asian-Pacific Region was created to help publishers evaluate the nature of the region as an emerging market, by offering a statistical overview of the economy and a summary of regional highlights and development.

A key part of the world’s economy, Asia now accounts for 50% of world economic growth, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) outlook is for solid performance to continue in 2007. Many of the modern libraries in the region are dependent on government resources, meaning library development is often closely tied to other areas of national development (social, cultural and economic).

Different cultures and languages can make the region a complex area for sales. Academic expansion in eastern Asia has created the need for additional scholarly material in the region, with the specific markets of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao being favorable for growth. While budget constraints are common, customized or subject-specific packages are very popular among libraries in the region. In the Pacific area of Australia/New Zealand, e-resource usage is ahead of the curve, due primarily to the countries’ geographic isolation. Consortia dominate the AU/NZ landscape.

Should you choose to market your content in the Asian-Pacific region, our experienced regional offices can assist with all of your promotional needs. With the support of fully staffed offices in 22 countries worldwide, EMpact makes it possible for content providers to take advantage of opportunities they might otherwise miss.

Selling to Libraries in Europe was created to help publishers evaluate the economy and culture of Europe, by offering a statistical overview of the economy and firsthand summary of regional developments and trends. As a continent, Europe has the largest economy in the world, driven primarily by the economic power of the European Union, which accounts for nearly a third of the global GDP. Projects such as LIBECON2000 and the European Library demonstrate the priority of the library industry to the region and serve as models of intra-country collaboration.

In France, the move to online is becoming more widespread, with the main concerns of the region focused on long-term budget development. The greatest sales opportunity in France is to Couperin, the country’s largest consortia. Regional obstacles include the complexities of publisher licensing and differentials of value-added tax (VAT) between print and online resources.

In Italy, the key areas for growth are the medical, corporate and government markets, while in Germany, areas for opportunity can be found in the research and development markets, as well as the corporate market. VAT continues to be a concern in the German academic market, while special selling approaches separate the Germanic market from its Eastern European counterparts.

Should you chose to market your content to Europe, our experienced regional offices can assist with all of your promotional needs. With the support of fully staffed offices in 22 countries worldwide, EMpact’s global reach makes it possible for content providers to take advantage of opportunities they might otherwise miss.